


Galentine's Day

by CactusPot



Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Friendship, Gen, Just gals being pals, One Shot, POV Alternating, TDWritersLoveandFriendshipWeek21
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:48:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29437785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CactusPot/pseuds/CactusPot
Summary: “I betcha I could get onto Total Drama,” Anne Maria said as she drew new cards. “All I’d gotta do is sing a lil’ ditty and they’d cast me immediately.”Zoey giggled. “Wouldn’t it be fun if we all filmed audition tapes?”“Who d’you think would win, out of all of us?” Staci pondered.“Me, duh.” Jo waved around the paper money she held in her hand. “I’m wiping the floor with you guys in Monopoly, and I’d do the same in a real competition.”~~~Written for Total Drama Love and Friendship Week
Kudos: 9





	Galentine's Day

In the end, Jo only agreed to join the festivities because Zoey pulled the “it’s my birthday, Jo!” card on her. That, and also Dakota had bribed her with the promise of brand new shotputs bought with her daddy’s money. Jo didn’t feel the least bit sorry about it; high-quality sports equipment got _expensive_.

“Shotgun!” Jo yelled as she sprinted to Zoey’s car. The other girls weren’t champion athletes like she was, and they just walked. _Suckers_. 

“Hey, not fair!” Anne Maria called. Her backpack was slung over one shoulder, and she spritzed hairspray like her life depended on it. “I need the up-front space for my hair!”

“Maybe if you chopped off that poof, you would’ve gotten here before me,” Jo snarked.

Anne Maria’s lip pursed; she was offended. Tough break. Dakota, who walked beside Anne Maria, eyed her aerosol can warily. “You’re not gonna spray that _in_ the car, are you?”

“‘Course I am.”

“Um, please don’t,” Zoey said, raising her brows and shooting Anne Maria a pointed look.

“I would also appreciate it if you kept the spray to a minimum,” Dawn added meekly.

“You guys ain’t got _any_ style,” Anne Maria deadpanned. While she stuffed the can into her backpack, Zoey and Dakota broke out into protests.

“My style is _indie_!” “I’m like, the most stylish girl in school!”

_Dweebs_. Jo rolled her eyes. The party hadn’t even started and already there was infighting.

“Excited for this?” she asked Dawn, who had joined her on the right side of the car.

“Yes indeed,” Dawn replied. Blondie evidently hadn’t picked up on Jo’s blatant sarcasm. “I have high hopes for all of us.”

Jo wasn’t sure what that meant. “Whatever you say, Pixie Stick.”

Dakota and Anne Maria were comparing shoes now. Half of what they said flew right over Jo’s head. Just her luck she’d made friends with two of the most image-obsessed girls in school.

“Backpacks in!” Zoey announced. Jo abandoned her post at the passenger’s seat to sling her battered gray bag into the trunk. The other girls did the same, albeit with much less force.

“Okay, wait. I have a surprise!” Zoey ducked back to the driver’s seat to retrieve said prize. Jo did her a favor and shoved the trunk shut.

“Suagr-free cookies?” Dakota asked hopefully.

“Extra sugar cookies!” Anne Maria countered.

Zoey held up the surprise: six fuzzy red and pink headbands. Jo balked immediately at the heart-shaped antennas. _Please no_.

“Oooh!” Dakota squealed, snatching a pink pair from Zoey’s hands. “These are _so_ cute!”

“Thank you very much, Zoey.” Dawn also opted for a pink pair.

Anne Maria took a red one and crammed it on her head; the antennae practically disappeared into her mane of curls.

Zoey held a red pair out to Jo.

“Absolutely not.” Jo crossed her arms defiantly. “When you dragged me along to this little get-together, you didn’t mention there’d be _costumes_.”

“C’mon, Jo, please?” Zoey pleaded, waving the headband in front of Jo’s face. “No one’s gonna see this, I swear!”

“No photos?” Jo asked suspiciously. No, she didn’t care what other people thought of her, but Lightning and Scott were annoying enough without the extra ammo.

“No photos,” Zoey promised. Her gaze slid in Anne Maria’s and Dakota’s directions. 

Poofhead shook her head. “Wasn’t gonna post any anyways. These won’t exactly bolster my street cred, y’know?”

“I only post my own selfies,” Dakota said. “You know that, Zoey!”

If Zoey hadn’t been her oldest childhood friend, Jo wouldn’t be humiliating herself currently. With a huff, she plucked the headband from Zoey’s outstretched hand and plopped it into her blonde hair.

“Happy?” 

“Extremely.” Zoey clapped in delight. The claps were off-beat, considering she still held one extra headband.

“Gee, looks like someone failed kindergarten math class,” Jo said sarcastically. “You bought six instead of five.”

Zoey faltered; in her periphery, Jo noticed Dawn’s eyebrows raising. _Oh great_. She knew that look: it was the expression Dawn wore when she connected the puzzle pieces before anyone else. Zoey was about to drop a bombshell.

“This one is for—”

“Thanks for waiting for me, Zoey! Who knew psychology quizzes could be so difficult, yah?”

Jo blanched. “Oh please no.”

Everyone whipped around to watch Staci worm her way into the group circle.

“Good to see you, Staci.” Dawn dipped her head in greeting.

“Um,” Dakota said.

“You invited _Chatty_?” Jo finished what Dakota had left unsaid.

“Yep! I know you guys don’t know Staci that well, but we hang out in homeroom!”

“For sure,” Staci agreed. “Zoey shares her name with my great-aunt who invented chocolate!”

“I’m pretty sure chocolate’s been around longer than that, doll,” Anne Maria quipped.

“No no, Great-aunt Zoey—”

“ _Hey_ ,” Jo cut her Staci off before her eardrums exploded. “Once again, Birthday Girl can’t do math. Your car seats _five_ people, and there are six of us.”

“We’ll just have to make adjustments,” Zoey said confidently.

In two strides, Jo was back at the shotgun door, clutching the handle defensively. _I called it_. Over her dead body would anyone else get the shotgun seat.

* * *

Dawn gathered her hair so it spilled over her shoulders instead of down her back. “Are you alright, Dakota?”

“Perfect!” Dakota’s chirpy reply was strained. Even if her voice hadn’t given it away, her aura would have: the prickling in its edges betrayed Dakota’s irritation at being chosen as Dawn’s makeshift car seat. Likely because she couldn’t take selfies with another person sitting in her lap.

For her part, Dawn didn’t mind the seating arrangement. She _was_ the smallest of the group, after all. And since Jo had stubbornly refused to let Staci or Anne Maria take the front seat, this was the solution at which they’d arrived.

Zoey twisted in her seat to face the girls in the back. “Are you ready for the best Galentine’s celebration ever?”

“Hooray!” “Totally!” “Yah!” “Yeah, baby!”

Jo pumped a sardonic fist in the air. “Bring it on,” she deadpanned.

Dawn tilted her head. It was abundantly obvious Jo was a tough-love sort of person, but she hadn’t yet realized how little the others appreciated her sarcasm. Ah, well. Maybe she’d see the light one of these days.

Zoey pulled out of the school parking lot, checking over her shoulder as she went. _She’s nervous_ , Dawn noted silently. Whenever she spoke up about these sorts of observations, others liked to chalk it up to her aura-diving capabilities. Yes, that was part of it. More often than not, however, her observations were grounded in noticeable actions as well: it was in the way Zoey kept glancing over her shoulder, the way she fixed the rear-view mirror three separate times, the way her voice rose whenever she asked if everyone’s needs were met.

To be unsettled on her birthday? How awful.

“Let’s put on some music,” Dawn suggested. “What playlists do you have, Zoey?” 

Dawn watched the mirror as Zoey’s eyes and aura lit up. “Oh! Yeah, I have some tunes!” 

Zoey fiddled with the dashboard—“Eyes on the road, yah?” Staci chided, while Anne Maria scoffed, “I’ve driven _blind_ before, she’s fine”—until a playlist came on. They turned onto another road as soft music floated through the car. 

“Is this the Bertles?” Dawn asked.

“Yeah! Their first album, too,” Zoey clarified. Her grip on the steering wheel loosened, and the hearts on her headband bobbed in time to the rhythm. “I love this track.”

“The Bertles are cool,” Staci said. “Y’know, they plagiarized most of their work from my great-uncle twice removed, Paul, right? Before him, they didn’t even have a band.” Her aura didn’t flicker at all. Either Staci spoke truthfully or she’d grown so accustomed to lying that it didn’t affect her psyche anymore. Interesting. 

Anne Maria butted in next. “Zoey, doll, I know this is your day, but cantcha play somethin’ a little more upbeat?” Her aura pulsed, impatient and energetic. “This is a party, afta all.”

“Well it’s not a _party_ party.” Zoey’s grip tightened. “It’s more of a small get together of my closest friends.”

“Define ‘closest.’” Jo stole a pointed glance at Staci. Staci pretended not to notice.

“Friends, I think the music is just fine,” Dawn said. She liked to believe her hyperawareness lended itself to conflict mediation. “Even if there is some debate surrounding the origins of the songs.” She offered this small concession to Staci, who matched Dawn’s smile with a grin of her own.

“You can pick the music later, Anne Maria,” Zoey said. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Works for me, hun.”

Dawn watched Anne Maria’s fingers twitch. “Thank you for giving up your sprays for the ride,” she said. “I know it must have been hard.”

Anne Maria’s eyebrows shot up. “Huh? No problem. I ain’t a jerk.”

In truth, Dawn disliked Anne Maria’s hairsprays and spray tans because they were likely wreaking havoc on the environment. On the other hand, it was doubtful Anne Maria would find other fidgets just because Dawn requested her to. She kept her head down and accepted the reality of things.

_Let’s see_ … who else was left to placate? Jo’s bluebell aura wasn’t cloudy in the way it usually was; she seemed content with her seat in the front, and she was talking to Zoey about some incident from fourth period. Dakota was tapping away on her phone.

“Ten seconds!” Zoey announced before Dawn could make a decision. The car turned onto a neighborhood street. True to her word, Zoey arrived at her house ten seconds later.

“Let’s get this party started!” Anne Maria crowed. She threw open the door and tumbled out of the car.

Dawn and the other girls got out with much less vigor. Zoey’s white house was quite honestly adorable, likely because of its tiny size and the carefully-watered flower bushes that lined the building.

Jo and Anne Maria were already tussling over the backpacks. Staci was informing Dakota about the origins of the color pink. It was just now occurring to Dawn that while Zoey was friends with everyone and every girl knew the others individually, this was the first time they’d gathered as a group. Dawn adjusted her headband as she mused, _How on Earth did Zoey collect such a strange group of friends_?

* * *

_This is it_? Dakota wrinkled her nose. Zoey’s house was… small. Kinda dingy-looking. But then again, what had she expected? Not everyone could afford a home as nice as Daddy’s penthouse.

She’d never been to Zoey’s house before; Zoey was more of a school-friend than a let’s-hang-out-in-your-room-and-order-expensive-shoes-online friend. Then again, Dakota didn’t have any friends in the second category.

“Dakota!” Dawn appeared at her side, saving her from Staci’s chitchat. “Thank you for letting me sit on your lap for the car ride. Your perfume smells very nice.”

_Omg_! “Thanks!” Dakota beamed. “You smell like the woods!”

That was something her therapist had recently recommended: _why don’t you return the compliment next time someone pays you one_? It was fun, so far. Sometimes she got stuck on what to say, though.

Zoey led them into the house. “My parents are still at work, so we’ve got the place to ourselves for a little while.” 

“Oh I _totally_ know how that is,” Dakota agreed. “My daddy’s at the office until, like, nine in the evening!”

“Jeez, I wish I was that rich,” Anne Maria commented, whipping out a spray can.

Even though Zoey hadn’t told Dakota or anyone else any details about the Galentines’ Day celebration, she apparently had a few activities planned out. Their first stop was the kitchen. Like the house itself, it was small. And where were the gourmet appliances and the personal chefs? Dakota fanned herself.

“So, I thought for our first activity, we could bake cupcakes!” Zoey waved her hands like _ta-da_!

Everyone murmured in agreement, even Jo, who was notoriously anti-sugar.

“ _Cute_!” Dakota squealed. “I love cupcakes, even if I have to make them myself.” Maybe she should’ve rented Zoey a butler for her birthday. Also, baking was _such_ a cute photo-op opportunity.

Dawn and Jo helped Zoey compile ingredients from around the kitchen. Dakota _would’ve_ helped, except she didn’t know the first thing about baking, honest.

“What recipe are we using?” Staci watched as well. “My great-great-great grandmother Betty’s recipe uses more butter, but my great-uncle thrice-removed Herbet’s recipe is way sweeter. Less sugar, too, yah?”

“Um.” Zoey tapped the back of the box. “We’re just gonna follow the one here. If that’s okay with you.”

“Yah, sure,” Staci said. “It’s your party.”

Jo was juggling eggs in her hands. “Hey, you know what would make this _fun_?”

“I think baking is already fun—”

Jo cut Zoey off. “Let’s make it a contest! Team with the best cupcakes wins!”

“ _Jo_? Offerin’ to be on a team?” Anne Maria snorted. “Unheard of.”

“I’m willing to share my expertise with some lucky people,” Jo shot back. “What about pink headbands versus red headbands?”

Dakota looked at her team: Dawn and Staci. Staci was… well, at least Dawn looked like she knew her way around a kitchen.

“That would be good team-building,” Dawn agreed as she examined one tub of vanilla frosting.

“Okay, uh, if you guys want to make it a competition, that works for me!” Zoey tugged on a red ponytail. “Me, Jo, and Anne Maria versus Dawn, Staci, and Dakota.”

And so the competition began. It was kinda hard for the Pink Team to bake over the techno music Anne Maria had insisted upon, not to mention Jo’s yelling on the other side of the kitchen.

“We need one three cups of vegetable oil,” Dawn read off the box.

“ _One three_?” Dakota squinted. That number didn’t sound right. “You mean thirteen?”

“No, she means one-third, yah?” Staci swiped the box from Dawn’s dainty hands.

“We should divide and conquer,” Dawn said as Jo yelled “Too much water, Sprayhead!”

Dawn continued, “Dakota can mix the dry ingredients. Staci can add the wet ones, and I can set up the cupcake liners.”

“We can do that, yah,” Staci agreed, holding up the vegetable oil in her other hand. 

Since the cake mix was added last, Dakota filed her nails while Staci poured in the eggs, water, butter, and oil. Dakota pursed her lips. “Hey, Staci? I thought you said we needed one-third cups of vegetable oil.” She didn’t know what one third looked like, but she was pretty sure Staci didn’t need to refill the measuring cup.

“Oh, don’t worry, Dakota.” Staci dumped in the second measurement of vegetable oil without hesitation. “I’m just following my great-uncle thrice-removed Herbet’s recipe.”

“Um… okay.” _Maybe the recipe will be better. I don’t know, I’ve never cooked before_.

Dakota snipped open the plastic baggie of cake mix and poured it into the bowl.

“Now what?” 

“Now you stir,” Dawn said patiently. 

So stir she did, bobbing her head to techno music as she did. Her therapist was gonna be _so_ proud of her for trying out a new hobby! It still counted, even if it was for a birthday-party-slash-Galentine’s-celebration.

“I’m back!” Staci announced.

Dakota furrowed her expertly-done brows. “When did you _leave_?”

“I had to get something from Zoey, yah?” Staci glanced over her shoulder at the other team. “Jo and I must be related, ‘cause she used the exact same jujitsu technique that my great-great-great aunt Aimi invented.”

A glance across the kitchen made it apparent that Jo was still glaring at the back of Staci’s head. Wowzers, she was taking this competition seriously. All Dakota wanted was a photo-op.

“Yeah, okay.” Dakota eyed her warily. “What did you need from Zoey?”

“This!” Staci produced a tiny vial of red food coloring. “This’ll turn our cupcakes pink, see? That means we’re guaranteed to win.” She squeezed a few drops into the bowl.

“Hey, that’s actually a pretty cool idea,” Dakota said. As it mixed into the batter, the food coloring formed a marble-like pattern that reminded her of the tiles in her bathroom. It was mesmerizing. “So Staci, you’re a fan of the color pink too, right?”

“Yah. I was telling you how my great-uncle invented it earlier, remember?”

“Um.” Dakota bit her lip. “Yeah, I remember.” Well, if nothing else, Staci’s one redeeming quality was that she also enjoyed the color pink.

* * *

Staci paused in her dancing to check the timer over the oven. “Three minutes!” she announced.

No one paid her any mind, which was fine. Jo and Dawn were talking at the table, Zoey and Dakota were taking selfies together, and Anne Maria was still engrossed in the music. Staci rejoined her, waving her hands in time to the beat.

“Three minutes, Anne Maria!” Staci repeated.

Anne Maria finger-gunned her. “Got it, doll!” She did a little spin 

Staci copied Anne Maria’s move, and Anne Maria whooped. “Yeah, girl! Dance party!”

“Keep it down!” Jo yelled from the table. 

Anne Maria and Staci ignored her in favor of continuing their kitchen rave. While she bobbed to the beat, Staci thought about her third cousin Gary, who’d invented techno. Before him, people had just danced to country music. Blah. What had great-great-grandfather Luke been thinking when he invented country music?

Before she could relay all this information to Anne Maria, the timer beeped. Jo zipped over to the oven to take out the cupcakes, nearly knocking over Staci and Anne Maria in the process.

“Truce over!” Jo announced as she slid the cupcakes out of Zoey’s oven. “The competition is back in full swing!”

“Jo, we have to wait for it to cool off,” Zoey reminded her.

“If you’re a _coward_ , maybe.” Jo had already started dumping the Red Team’s cupcakes onto a cooling rack. 

“My cousin Cameron invented cowardice,” Staci commented.

“Are you talking about Pencilneck from gym class?”

Dawn floated over to the Pink Team’s corner of the kitchen; the sleeves of her green sweater prevented the hot tin from burning her hands. “Okay, friends, how are we going to decorate these? Personally, I think we should make it educational. Maybe we could illustrate the water cycle!”

Staci stared at the twelve cupcakes they were supposed to beautify. Somehow she didn’t think they’d be able to illustrate the entire water cycle.

“We should _definitely_ put hearts on them!” Dakota decided. “It’s gotta be on-theme, Dawn.”

“I think we should spell out someone’s name,” Staci suggested. “Maybe Reginald. He’s one of my ancestors who invented cupcakes. Before him, people just made regular cakes.”

Dawn and Dakota looked at each other. Staci stared back at them. “What?”

Twenty minutes later, the two teams presented their handiwork to each other. The Red Team went first. Vanilla icing topped each dessert, and each one was patterned with a pink ‘female’ symbol. And glitter. Zoey’d gone to town with the red glitter sprinkles (Great-aunt Helga had invented those).

Anne Maria picked up a cupcake. “This one represents Galentine’s Day,” she narrated. “‘Cause we’re all girls. Makes sense, right?”

“Also because men suck,” Jo added snidely.

“We didn’t agree to that!” Zoey protested.

“No, Jo’s right. Men are lame,” Anne Maria agreed. She and Jo high-fived. Staci and her teammates laughed.

“I’m pretty sure some of the boys in our grade have cooties,” Staci said. She knew all the symptoms since her uncle Gilbert had invented cooties.

Jo pointed at her. “See? Chatterbox understands.”

“I just wanted to have a fun girls’ night,” Zoey groaned. “Instead I accidentally started a misandrist cult.”

“No, that was my third cousin Susan,” Staci reassured her. “We don’t speak to her.”

“What’s misandrist mean?”

“Okay okay!” Jo waved Dakota’s question aside. “Let’s see what the other team made.”

Staci presented the Pink Team’s plate of cupcakes to their opposition. They’d arranged the cupcakes so that the middle four spelled out ‘ZOEY’ in pink frosting. The remaining eight cupcakes were decorated with various hearts.

“Aww!” Zoey cooed. She looked like she was about to melt onto the floor. “You guys, this is so cute!”

“Big whoop,” said Jo. Zoey elbowed her, and Jo rolled her eyes. “I mean, _wow_ , great work.”

“So who wins?” Anne Maria asked.

“Alright, raise your hand for the feminism cupcakes,” Zoey instructed. Jo and Anne Maria raised their hands, as did Staci.

“Staci!” Dakota hissed.

“What? Uncle Gilbert was a creep,” Staci retorted.

“And raise your hand for the Zoey cupcakes.” Zoey raised her own hand, as did Dawn and Dakota.

Everyone looked at each other. Staci thought about her great-great-great-great grandmother Edith, who had invented ties. Before her, all votes ended in a clear victory.

“Well nobody thought _that_ through,” Jo deadpanned, even though she’d been the one to suggest it in the first place.

“No matter! We still have some delicious treats!” Zoey was always looking on the bright side. Kinda like Staci’s great uncle Carl, who had invented the bright side. “Do you guys wanna chill in the basement and watch some TV?”

“You had me at ‘basement,’ doll,” Anne Maria said.

* * *

They ended up playin’ Monopoly while Zoey’s favorite reality show, Total Drama Island, ran in the background. The show wasn’t that bad, in Anne Maria’s opinion. The kids were all singin’ and backstabbin’ and occasionally funny. 

“I betcha I could get onto this show,” Anne Maria said as she drew new cards. “All I’d gotta do is sing a lil’ ditty and they’d cast me _immediately_.”

Zoey giggled. “Wouldn’t it be fun if we all filmed audition tapes!”

“OMG, yes please!” Dakota, who was sittin’ next to Anne Maria, perked up immediately. She’d been stuck in jail for the last three rounds. Crazy how someone so rich could suck at a game revolvin’ around capitalism.

“Dawn, I’d like all your green properties,” Jo demanded. While Dawn handed over the goods, she added, “You’d all get in. Total Drama is known for its kooks.”

“Who d’you think would win, out of all of us?” Staci pondered.

“Me, _duh_.” Jo waved around the paper money she held in her hand. “I’m wiping the floor with you guys in Monopoly, and I’d do the same in a real competition.”

“I like to think I’d have a shot,” Zoey said.

“Nah, you’re too much of a sweetheart,” Anne Maria said plainly. “Not a bad thing, hun, but that’s just the way it works. Nice people don’t get millions of dollars. Case in point.” She jerked a thumb at Jo, who was busy countin’ up all her money.

“I’d like to buy another hotel, please.” Jo waved the cash around.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Dakota murmured.

“Why not, Legally Blonde?”

“If you get cocky with your spending, you’re going to lose it all,” Dakota pointed out. “Happened to Daddy’s business partner three years ago. Now Jacqueline and her family can’t even afford _Prada_!” She shuddered.

Jo eyed her warily, then set her cash back down. “Okay, changed my mind. Anne Maria, it’s your turn.”

“You can’t help her!” Anne Maria protested. “That’s _totally_ cheating!”

Zoey bit her lip. Anne Maria’d been on-point about the sweetheart thing: Zoey was too nice to accuse Jo or Dakota of foul play.

“Well I’m stuck in jail, so _excuse_ me if I’m a little bored!” Dakota folded her arms defensively across her chest.

“Mind giving _me_ some advice?” Anne Maria asked.

“Um…” Dakota’s eyes scanned the board. “Buy up the orange properties.”

“Bingo.” Anne Maria cashed in and claimed New York Avenue for her own.

Jo made a face. “Not fair!”

“Welcome to the real world,” Anne Maria declared. She placed a chip on New York Avenue. “Hey, the whole squad of us should road trip ‘cross the border to NYC sometime. It’s real pretty in the summer.”

“One of Daddy’s favorite hotels is located in New York!”

“No kidding?” Anne Maria nudged her. “Shoulda told me sooner. We can road trip to your dad’s hotel, hmm?”

The game proceeded. Dakota eventually got out of jail. Her advice to Jo had been right on, and Jo just kept gettin’ richer. So did Anne Maria and Staci, actually. Zoey wasn’t doin’ so hot. On one hand, it _was_ her birthday, but on the other, Anne Maria wasn’t in the habit of lettin’ people win.

When it came down to it: Dawn won.

“No way!” A frustrated Jo tossed her money in the air. “How the heck did _that_ happen?”

“Good job, Dawn.” Staci patted her on the back. “You did my great-great-grand-uncle Rich Uncle Pennybags proud.”

“As winner, Dawn gets to suggest our next activity,” Zoey announced.

Anne Maria leaned in eagerly, waiting for Dawn’s response. Was it too much to hope for manipedis?

* * *

Zoey examined her pink nails with a content smile. After Dawn led them in a yoga exercise, Anne Maria had insisted on nail-painting. It’d shaped up to be a pretty great afternoon, despite the fact people argued every three minutes. But that couldn’t be helped, considering how abrasive Jo, Anne Maria, and Dakota could be.

Her nails were dry now, which meant it was safe to peel off the wrapper of the ‘Z’ cupcake. As Zoey did so, Anne Maria announced, “Okay, okay, it’s present time!”

“I thought I told you guys no presents!” Zoey protested. 

Jo, who had made herself comfortable beside her on the couch, shrugged. “As if you could’ve stopped any of us.”

Dakota went first. She took a pink bag out of her backpack and presented it to Zoey. “Here ya go!”

Enclosed were four rolls of fabric. “Omg, Dakota! These are so pretty!” Zoey set aside her cupcake and unfurled the top roll. It was soft, stretchy, and patterned with cherries.

Dakota beamed. “My maid helped me pick ‘em out. They’re straight from Milan. I figured you’d like some new material for your projects.”

What else could Zoey do but hop up and give Dakota a warm hug? “Thank you!” She didn’t need her tarot cards to tell the future: matching cherry-patterned rompers for herself and Dakota.

Anne Maria handed Zoey a small box. “Me next!”

It turned out to be a new eyeshadow palette full of reds, pinks, and purples. “Oooh! This is gorgeous!”

“I know,” Anne Maria agreed with a self-satisfied smirk. “I got the same one at home, figured you’d like it too.”

Jo went next. She forwent the theatrics and into Zoey’s hand dropped a gift card to the local sporting goods store. “You wanted new arrows, and I wasn’t gonna haul them around school all day.”

Zoey nudged her. “Thanks, Jo.”

“Here’s mine, yah?” Staci passed over a small CD-shaped present. Lo and behold, it was indeed a ParkadeTire CD.

“Awesome!”

“Look inside!” Staci insisted.

Zoey cracked open the case, and her jaw dropped. “It’s _signed_? _How_?”

“Didn’t I tell you my Uncle Jeremy was their manager?” Staci waved it off like it was nothing. “Just called in a few favors, yah.”

In truth, she hadn’t believed Staci during their discussion. “Um. Yeah, I remember. Thanks so much, Staci. This is amazing.”

Dawn was the last one left. Her gift was packaged in a simple paper bag. Zoey slipped her hand in and took out a gorgeous red-and-blue charm bracelet.

“How cute!” Zoey cooed. Encircled by blue and red threads were six charms: a flower, a heart, a pair of lips, a lightning bolt, a peace sign, and a hairbrush. They were the most generic charms she’d ever seen, yet they were strangely fitting.

“I’m glad you like it.” Dawn was smiling. “I found it in the dumpster behind the general store.”

Zoey had been in the process of slipping it on when Dawn mentioned this. She blanched. “Um… thanks, Dawn. I love it.”

“I know,” Dawn said serenely.

Now that presents were all dispensed with, Zoey picked up her phone. As she did, Anne Maria slapped it away. 

“Hey!” she chided. “No boys allowed. It’s Galentine’s Day!”

“I wasn’t even gonna text Mike!” Zoey protested. “I mean, not for long. Just to show him what you all got me.”

“Yeah right,” Jo added, plucking the phone from Zoey’s hand. “You started Galentine’s Day, now you have to abide by its rules.”

“I guess you’re right,” Zoey conceded. “You guys are the best group of friends a girl could ask for.”

“We try, yah?” Staci agreed.

**Author's Note:**

> My main goal for this fic was for each girl to have at least one positive interaction with each other (that's fifteen different pairings, for my fellow nerds).  
> Also I've never played Monopoly so idk how that game works


End file.
